jueves, 27 de mayo de 2010

Viola (English version)

Here you have the history of viola thank you Wikipedia

The viola (pronounced /viˈoʊlə/ or /vaɪˈoʊlə/)
is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin
family, between the violin and the cello.
The casual observer may mistake the viola for the violin because of
their similarity in size, closeness in pitch range (the viola is a perfect
fifth below the violin), and nearly identical playing position.
However, the viola's timbre sets it apart: its rich, dark-toned sonority
is more full-bodied than the violin's. As its mellow voice is frequently
used for playing inner harmonies, the viola does not enjoy the wide solo
repertoire or fame of the violin.

A viola shown from the front and the side

String instrument

Other names

French: alto; German: Bratsche

Hornbostel-Sachs classification

321.322-71
(Composite chordophone sounded by a bow)

Playing range

Related instruments

Violin family (violin, cello)

Viol
family (includes double bass)

Form of the viola

The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin but
is larger in size and more variable in its proportions. A "full-size"
viola's body is between one and four inches longer than the body of a
full-size violin (i.e., between 15 and 18 inches (38 and 46 cm)), with
an average length of about 16 inches (41 cm). Small violas made for
children typically start at 12 inches (30 cm), which is equivalent to a half-size
violin. Often, a fractional-sized violin will be strung with the
strings of a viola (C, G, D and A) for those children who need even
smaller sizes.
Unlike the violin, the viola does not have a standard full size. The
body of a viola would need to measure about 21 inches (53 cm) long to
match the acoustics of a violin, making it impractical to play in the
same manner as the violin.
For centuries, viola makers have experimented with the size and shape
of the viola, often compensating by tweaking the proportions or shape of
the instrument in order to make an instrument with a shorter scale
length and lighter weight, but which still has a large enough sound
box to create an unmistakable "viola sound."
Experiments with the size of the viola have tended to increase it in
the interest of improving the instrument's sound. These include Hermann
Ritter's "viola alta", an instrument measuring about 18.9 inches (48 cm)
intended for use in Richard Wagner's operas.
The Tertis model viola, which has wider bouts and deeper ribs to
promote a better viola tone, is another slightly "non-standard" shape
which allows the player to use a larger instrument than normal. Many
experiments with the acoustics of a viola, particularly increasing the
size of the body, result in a much deeper tone of the instrument, making
the instrument resemble the tone of a cello. Since many composers wrote
for a traditional-sized viola, changes in the tone of a viola,
particularly in orchestral music, can have unintended
consequences on the balance in ensembles.
More recent (and more radically-shaped) innovations address the
ergonomic problems of playing the viola by making it shorter and lighter
while finding ways to keep the traditional sound. These include Otto
Erdesz "cutaway" viola (which has one shoulder cut out to make shifting
easier);
the "Oak Leaf" viola (which has two extra bouts); viol shaped
violas like Joseph Curtin's "Evia" model (which also utilizes a moveable
neck and a maple-veneered carbon
fiber back to reduce weight):
violas played in the same manner as cellos (see vertical viola); and the eye-catching "Dalí-esque" shapes of both Bernard Sabatier's violas in
fractional sizes (which appear to have melted) and of David Rivinus'
"Pellegrina" model violas.
Other experiments besides those dealing with the "ergonomics vs.
sound" problem have appeared. American composer Harry
Partch fitted a viola with a cello neck to allow the use of his
43-tone scale. Luthiers have also created five-stringed violas, which
allow a greater playing range. Modern music is played on these
instruments, but viol music can be played as well.

Playing the viola

Playing a 17" viola in 3rd position.

A person who plays the viola is called a violist or simply a viola
player. While it is similar to the violin, the technique required for
playing viola has many differences. The difference in size accounts for
some of the technical differences, as notes are spread out farther along
the fingerboard often requiring different fingerings. The less
responsive strings and heavier bow warrant a somewhat different bowing
technique. The viola requires the player to lean more intensely on the
strings compared to the violin.

Compared to violin, the viola will generally have a larger body as
well as a longer string length, which is why younger violists or even
some old tend to get smaller sized violas for easier playing. The most
immediately noticeable adjustments a player accustomed to playing violin
has to make are to use wider-spaced fingerings. It is common for some
players to use a wider and more intense vibrato
in the left hand facilitated by employing the fleshier pad of the finger
rather than the tip, and to hold the bow
and right arm farther away from the player's body. The player must also
bring the left elbow farther forward or around, so as to reach the
lowest string. This allows the fingers to be firm and create a clearer
tone. Unless the violist is gifted with especially large hands,
different fingerings are often used, including frequent use of half
position and shifting position, where on the violin staying in one place
would suffice.

The viola is generally strung with thicker strings than the violin.
This, combined with its larger size and lower pitch range, results in a
tone which is deeper and more mellow. However, the thicker strings also
mean that the viola "speaks" more slowly than its soprano cousin.
Practically speaking, if a violist and violinist are playing together,
the violist must begin moving the bow a fraction of a second sooner than
the violinist to produce a sound that starts at the same moment as the
violinist's sound. The thicker strings also mean that more weight must
be applied with the bow to make them speak.

Bow frogs, top to bottom: violin, viola, cello

The viola bow has a wider band of horsehair than a violin
bow, particularly noticeable near the frog (or "heel" in the UK). Viola bows (70 to
74 g) are heavier than violin bows (58 to 61 g). The profile of the
outside corner of a viola bow frog generally is rounded, compared to the
rectangular corner usually seen on violin bows.

Tuning

First position viola fingerings

The viola's four strings are normally tuned in fifths: C3 (an octave
below middle C) is the lowest, with G3, D4 and A4
above it. This tuning is exactly one fifth below the violin, so that
they have three strings in common—G, D, and A—and is one octave above
the cello.
Although the violin and viola have three strings tuned the same, the
tone quality or sound color is markedly different.
Violas are tuned by turning the pegs
near the scroll, around which the strings are wrapped. Tightening the
string will raise the note (make it sharper) while loosening the string
will lower the note (making it flatter). The A string is normally tuned
first, typically to 440 Hz or 442 Hz (see pitch). The other strings are then tuned to it in
intervals of perfect fifths, bowing two strings simultaneously. Most
violas also have adjusters (also called fine tuners) that
are used to make finer changes. These permit the tension of the string
to be adjusted by rotating a small knob at the opposite end of the
string, at the tailpiece. Such tuning is generally easier to
learn than using the pegs, and adjusters are usually recommended for
younger players and put on smaller violas, although they are usually
used in conjunction with one another. Adjusters work best, and are most
useful, on higher tension metal strings. It is common to use one on the A
string even if the others are not equipped with them. The picture on
the right shows normal stringing of the pegs. Some violists reverse the
stringing of the C and G pegs, so the thicker C string does not turn so
severe an angle over the nut, although this is uncommon.
Small, temporary tuning adjustments can also be made by stretching a
string with the hand. A string may be tuned down by pulling it above the
fingerboard, or tuned up by pressing the part of the string in the
pegbox. These techniques may be useful in performance, reducing the ill
effects of an out-of-tune string until an opportunity to tune properly.
The tuning C-G-D-A is used for the great majority of all viola music.
However, other tunings are occasionally employed both in classical music
(where the technique is known as scordatura)
and in some folk styles. Mozart, in his Sinfonia Concertante for Violin, Viola and Orchestra,
which is in E flat, wrote the viola part in D major and specified that
the viola strings were to be raised in pitch by a semitone; his
intention was probably to give the viola a brighter tone to avoid it
being overpowered by the rest of the ensemble. Lionel
Tertis, in his transcription of the Elgar cello concerto, wrote the slow
movement with the C string tuned down to B flat, enabling the viola to
play one passage an octave lower. Occasionally the C string may also be
tuned up to D.

Viola
organizations and research

A renewal of interest in the viola by performers and composers in the
twentieth century also led to increased research devoted to the
instrument. Paul Hindemith and Vadim Borisovsky made an early attempt at an
organization in 1927 with the Violists' World Union. But it was not
until 1968 with the creation of the Viola-Forschungsgellschaft, now the International Viola Society
(IVS), that a lasting organization would take hold. The IVS now consists
of twelve sections around the world, the largest being the American Viola Society (AVS), which
publishes the Journal of the American Viola Society. In addition
to the journal, the AVS sponsors the David Dalton Research Competition
and the Primrose International
Viola Competition.
The 1960s also saw the beginning of several research publications
aimed at the viola, beginning with Franz Zeyringer's Literatur für
Viola, which has undergone several versions, the most recent in
1985. Maurice Riley produced the first attempt at a comprehensive
history of the viola in his History of the Viola from 1980,
followed with a second volume in 1991. The IVS published the
multi-language Viola Yearbook from 1979 to 1994, and several other
national sections of the IVS publish newsletters. The Primrose
International Viola Archive at Brigham Young University houses the
most substantial amount of material related to the viola, including
scores, recordings, instruments, and archival materials from some of the
world's greatest violists.

Viola music

Sheet music written for the viola differs from that of other
instruments in that it primarily uses alto
clef (sometimes called "viola clef"), which is otherwise rarely
used. Viola sheet music also employs the treble clef when there are
substantial sections of music written in higher registers. The note A4
is above the top line of the clef, D4 is in the second space down, G3 is
in the space at the bottom of the staff, and C3 is two spaces under the
staff.

Role of the viola
in pre-twentieth century works

In early orchestral music, the viola part was frequently
limited to the filling in of harmonies
with little melodic material assigned to it. When the viola was
given melodic parts in music of that era, it was often duplication in
unison or octaves of whatever other strings played. A notable exception
is J.S. Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, which placed the two violas
in the primary melodic role (it was scored for 2 violas, cello, 2 violas da gamba, and continuo).
An example of a piece written before the 20th century which features a
solo viola part is Hector Berlioz's Harold in Italy, though there are
also a few Baroque and Classical concerti, such as those by
Telemann (one of the earliest viola
concertos known), Franz Anton Hoffmeister and Carl
Stamitz.
The viola plays an important role in chamber
music. Mozart succeeded in liberating the
viola somewhat when he wrote his six string quintets, which are widely considered to include
some of his greatest works. The quintets use two violas, which frees the
instrument (especially the first viola) for solo passages and increases
the variety and richness of the ensemble. Mozart also wrote for the
viola in his Sinfonia Concertante
in which the two solo instruments, viola and violin, are equally
important. Another important contribution was a set of two duets for
violin and viola, as well as his Kegelstatt Trio for viola, clarinet, and piano. The young Felix Mendelssohn wrote a little-known viola sonata in C minor (without
opus number, but dating from 1824). From his earliest works Johannes Brahms wrote music that features the viola
prominently. Among his first published pieces of chamber music, the
sextets for strings Op.18 and Op.36 contain what amounts to solo parts
for both violas. Late in life he wrote two greatly admired sonatas for clarinet
and piano,
his Opus 120 (1894); later Brahms transcribed these works for the viola
(the horn part in his horn trio is also available in a transcription
for viola). Brahms also wrote Two Songs for Alto with
Viola and Piano (Zwei Gesänge für eine Altstimme mit Bratsche und
Pianoforte), Op. 91, "Gestillte Sehnsucht" or "Satisfied Longing" and
"Geistliches Wiegenlied" or "Spiritual Lullaby," which was a present for
the famous violinist Joseph Joachim and his wife, Amalie. Antonín Dvořák played the viola, and
apparently said it was his favorite instrument; his chamber music is
rich in important parts for the viola. Another Czech
composer, Bedřich Smetana, included a significant
viola part in his quartet "From My Life"; the quartet
begins with an impassioned statement by the viola. (Incidentally, Dvořák
was the violist at the premiere.) It should also be noted that Bach,
Mozart and Beethoven all occasionally played the viola part in chamber
music.
The viola occasionally has a major role in orchestral music, for
example the sixth variation of the Enigma Variations by Edward
Elgar, called "Ysobel". Another prominent example is the Richard
Strauss "Don Quixote" for solo cello and solo viola.
While the viola repertoire is quite large, the amount written by
well-known pre-twentieth century composers is relatively small. There
are many transcriptions of works for other instruments for the viola,
and the large amount of 20th-century literature is very diverse. See
"The Viola Project" at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where
Professor of Viola Jodi Levitz has paired a composer with each of
her students, resulting in a recital of brand-new works played for the
very first time.

Twentieth century
and beyond

In the earlier part of the 20th century, more composers began to
write for the viola, encouraged by the emergence of specialized soloists
such as Lionel Tertis. Englishmen Arthur
Bliss, York Bowen, Benjamin
Dale, and Ralph Vaughan Williams all wrote chamber and
concert works for Tertis. William Walton, Bohuslav Martinů and Béla Bartók wrote well-known viola concertos. One of the few
composers to write a substantial amount of music for the viola was Paul Hindemith; being himself a violist, he often
performed the premieres of his own viola works. Debussy's Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp has
inspired a significant number of other composers to write for this
combination. Elliott Carter also wrote several fine works
for viola including his Elegy (1943) for viola and piano; it was
subsequently transcribed for clarinet. Ernest
Bloch, a Swiss-born American composer best known for his
compositions inspired by Jewish music, wrote two famous works for viola,
the Suite 1919 and the Suite Hebraique for solo viola and
orchestra. Rebecca Clarke was a 20th century
composer and violist who also wrote extensively for the viola. Lionel
Tertis records that Edward Elgar (whose cello concerto Tertis transcribed for
viola, with the slow movement in scordatura), Alexander Glazunov (who wrote an Elegy, op. 44, for
viola and piano), and Maurice
Ravel all promised concertos for viola, yet all three died before
doing any substantial work on them. In the latter part of the 20th
century a substantial repertoire was produced for the viola; many
composers including Alfred Schnittke, Sofia Gubaidulina, Giya
Kancheli and Krzysztof Penderecki, have written viola concertos. The American composer Morton Feldman wrote a series of works entitled The Viola
in My Life which feature concertante viola parts.
In spectral music, the viola has been sought
after because of it's lower overtone partials that are more easily heard
than on the violin. Spectral composers like Giacinto Scelsi, Gerard Grisey, Tristan Murail and Horatiu Radulescu have written solo
works for viola.

Contemporary pop music

The viola is sometimes used in contemporary popular music, mostly in
the avant-garde. The influential group Velvet Underground famously used
the viola, as do some modern groups such as 10,000 Maniacs, Defiance, Ohio, The Funetics, Flobots,
Beethoven's 5th, British Sea Power and others. Jazz music has
also seen its share of violists, from those used in string sections in
the early 1900s to a handful of quartets and soloists emerging from the
1960s onward. It is quite unusual though, to use individual string
instruments in contemporary popular music. It is usually the flute or
rather the full orchestra appearing to be the favoured choice, rather
than a lone string player. The upper strings could be easily drowned out
by the other instruments, especially if electric, or even by the
singer.See The
viola in popular music below.

Viola in folk music

3-stringed viola, used in Hungarian and Romanian folk music

Although not as commonly used as the violin in folk music, the viola
is nevertheless used by many folk musicians across the world. Extensive
research into the historical and current use of the viola in folk music
has been carried out by Dr. Lindsay Aitkenhead. Players in this genre
include Eliza Carthy, Mary Ramsey, Helen
Bell, and Nancy Kerr. Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown
was the viola's most prominent exponent in the genre of blues.
The viola is also an important accompaniment instrument in Hungarian
and Romanian
folk string band music, especially in Transylvania.
Here the instrument has three strings tuned g — d' - a (note that the a
is an octave lower than found on the standard instrument), and the
bridge is flattened with the instrument playing chords in a strongly
rhythmic manner. In this usage, it is called a kontra or brácsa
(pronounced "bra-cha").

Violists

There are only a few truly well known viola virtuosi, perhaps because
little virtuoso viola music was written before the twentieth century.
The most important viola pioneers from the twentieth century were Lionel
Tertis, William Primrose, Paul Hindemith, Théophile Laforge, Cecil Aronowitz, Maurice
Vieux, Vadim Borisovsky, Lillian
Fuchs, Frederick Riddle, Walter Trampler, Ernst Wallfisch, and Emanuel
Vardi, the first violist to record the 24 Caprices by Paganini
on viola. Many noted violinists have publicly performed and recorded on
the viola as well, among them Eugène Ysaÿe, Yehudi Menuhin, David Oistrakh, Pinchas Zukerman, Maxim Vengerov, and Nigel
Kennedy.
Among the great composers, several preferred the viola to the violin
when playing in ensembles,
the most noted being Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach
and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Numerous
other composers also chose to play the viola in ensembles, including Joseph
Haydn, Franz Schubert, Felix Mendelssohn, Antonín Dvořák, and Benjamin Britten. Among those noted both as violists and as
composers are Rebecca Clarke and Paul Hindemith. Contemporary composer and violist Kenji
Bunch has written a number of viola solos.
The term "violist" is not used universally in English; some players,
generally British, prefer "viola player", as the word "violist" is used
in the UK to mean "player of the viol".

Further information: List of violists

Viola in popular music

The viola sees limited use in popular music. It was sometimes part of
popular dance orchestras in the period from about 1890 to 1930, and
orchestrations of pop tunes from that era often had viola parts
available. The viola largely disappeared from pop music at the start of
the big
band era. With the Charlie Daniels Band, Charlie Daniels has played
viola instead of violin for some of the fiddling "Redneck Fiddlin'
Man."
John
Cale, a classically trained violist, played the instrument to great
effect (amplified and often distorted) on some Velvet Underground tracks, most notably on "Venus in Furs", "Heroin", "The Black Angel's Death Song", "Stephanie
Says", and "Hey Mr. Rain". He also played viola on "We Will
Fall" a track on the debut Stooges album which he also produced.
Producer and songwriter Don Kayvan is a classically trained violist
and regularly uses the viola on rap, r&b, alternative and pop songs.
Singer-songwriter Patrick Wolf is a trained violinist and viola
player, and regularly uses viola in his songs and onstage.
Kansas' "Dust in the Wind", as well as other tracks by the band,
features a viola melody. Robby Steinhardt played violin, viola, and cello on the
song, and he or David Ragsdale plays at least one of these on
most Kansas songs during their membership.
The
Who's "Baba O'Riley" from the album Who's
Next features an extended viola solo played by Dave Arbus of East of Eden.
Dave Swarbrick of the English Folk-Rock group Fairport Convention has been known to contribute viola
among other stringed instruments to the band, most notably on the Liege & Lief album on the track "Medley..." where he
plays violin with an overdubbed viola playing the same part an octave
lower.
Geoffrey Richardson is a
classically-trained violist and multi-instrumentalist best known for his
work with Caravan, Murray
Head and the Penguin Cafe Orchestra over more than
3 decades, though he has also performed and recorded with many other
artists and bands.
Billy Currie played viola (as well as keyboards and violin)
with the British bands Ultravox and Visage,
which had their biggest success in the early 1980s.
A viola accompaniment, played by Toni Marcus, to four tracks on Van
Morrison's album Into the Music can be heard. The tracks are: "Steppin'
Out Queen"; "And the Healing Has Begun"; "It's All in the Game" and "You Know What They're
Writing About". Also in the video of Van Morrison's performance of "Sweet Thing" live at the Hollywood Bowl, which was released on CD and DVD of a live
performance of the album Astral
Weeks, there is a considerable viola accompaniment and solo
played by Tony Fitzgibbon.
Anna Bulbrook plays viola in the indie rock group The Airborne Toxic Event.
The Goo Goo Dolls featured the viola in "We are the Normal"
Frank Sweeney played viola in the proto-indie group The June Brides and also features on the track "Imperial" by
Primal Scream.
The viola has made a slight comeback in modern pop music; aided and
abetted by string groups, Bond
and Wild. The band Flobots
makes extensive use of the viola on nearly all of their songs as
bandmember Mackenzie Roberts is a violist. In her latest album, Lonely Runs Both Ways, Alison
Krauss uses the viola in many of her songs. Vienna
Teng, a folk/indie artist, used the viola as a solo instrument in
two of her songs from her recent album Dreaming Through the Noise
(2006). Norwegian noise rock band Noxagt had
a viola player until very recently; this musician left the band and was
replaced by a baritone guitarist. New indie pop band The
Funetics, use two violas and guitar for its instrumentation. The Six Parts Seven also used a viola. Neo-new wave
indie rock band The Rentals features classically trained violist
Lauren Chipman.
Vampire Weekend featured a viola during their song "The
Kids Don't Stand a Chance" on their 2008 self-titled debut album. This
was the most notable appearance of the viola on the album. Although, the
instrument makes appearances throughout the album, often with the rest
of the quartet.
Warren Ellis from The Dirty Three, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Grinderman
has increasingly played the viola on recent recordings, in particular
on The Bad Seeds' Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!! album.
Kris
Allen, winner of American
Idol Season 8, also plays the viola; he began playing at
College Station Elementary School, and continued playing until he
graduated from Mills University Studies High School under James Hatch.
Allen made the Arkansas All-State Orchestra.

Electric violas

Amplification and equalization can make up for the weaker output of a
violin string tuned to notes below G3, so most electric instruments
with lower strings are violin-sized, and as such, are called "violins."
Comparatively fewer electric violas do exist, for those who prefer the
physical size or familiar touch references of a viola-sized instrument. Welsh
musician John Cale, formerly of The Velvet Underground, is one of the more
famous users of such an electric viola, who has used them both for
melodies in his solo work and for drones in his work with The Velvet Underground (e.g. "Venus in Furs").
Instruments may be built with an internal preamplifier,
or may put out the unbuffered transducer
signal.
While such raw signals may be fed directly to an amplifier or mixing board, they often benefit from an
external preamp/equalizer on the end of a short cable, before
being fed to the sound system.